


Sand, Sea, and Scrambling

by PrecariousSauce



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: F/M, Headcanon, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-29
Updated: 2016-03-22
Packaged: 2018-04-06 18:38:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4232541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrecariousSauce/pseuds/PrecariousSauce
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marriage can be especially difficult at the start– Being on the beach and beset by brigands doesn't help. </p><p>(A writing exercise that I liked enough to post– the married conversations with Gaius, Cordelia and Tharja reworked and written out to fit with my favorite non-Avatar matches for them. Chrom's not included because my favorite/"canon" marriage for him IS with the Avatar so assume that event is going on somewhere in the background)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Turn 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just some quick headcanon notes that'll be relevant for visualization/contextualization either now or later–
> 
> 1) Panne's legs and feet are basically a hybrid between rabbit legs/feet and human legs/feet– so the bone structure leaves her with somewhat long feet that she has to sort of balance on her tiptoes if she wants to stand in a normal human way. Standing flat on the soles of her feet would leave her legs bent and her back slightly hunched over.
> 
> 2) Cordelia is almost six feet tall and Henry is just barely pushing five feet.
> 
> 3) Libra is a transman and he has scars from the manual aspects of the transition on his chest. And now that I decided to do the epilogue that is ACTUALLY RELEVANT!
> 
> 4) All of the couples have been married for a year at the most and none of their future children have been recruited yet, nor do they know for certain that they even had children in the future; Lucina is the only future child the army knows of.
> 
> And I didn't include Chrom/Avatar among this because while I do like my version of the Avatar and basically cannot visualize default Robin when I think of the Avatar, just my version, I concede that characterizationwise she's not much different from the Robin we're presented with so I didn't think I could do much with rewriting that conversation. I tried to make little hints to it going on in the background but ultimately they didn't make much sense so I cut them.

Gaius grinned as he plucked another shell out of the sand; This spiraled blue one would definitely fetch a high price. He had to smirk as he glided right past some brigands– years of thieving made him a master of stealth anywhere, even on a bright sunny beach. He could do without having to walk on sand, but as he found a shell that just happened to match a certain surly woman’s deep red eyes he reasoned it was a worthy tradeoff for all the riches the beach was hiding. 

A voice rang out, echoing unnaturally above the din of battle and the roar of the waves; “Gaius!”

The ginger-haired thief nearly leapt a foot in the air, but caught himself and turned on his heel to face his wife with a grin as she bounded across the sand in her rabbit form. Panne began phasing back mid-step and by the time she was a couple feet away she was standing on two legs again, balancing carefully on her long feet and glaring at him– which as he’d learned over about a year of marriage didn’t necessarily mean she was angry. That was just her face.

Gaius lazily saluted her with two fingers; “Hey there, baby. You doin’ okay in this heat?”

Panne frowned– now _that_ was a sign she was at least slightly angry– and replied, “A volley of arrows landed _right here_. How are you unharmed?” Gaius blinked once before turning to his left; sure enough half a dozen arrows sat there stuck in the sand fletchings up, looking for all the world like a field of rigid weeds.

Gaius shrugged; “You know me– I’m just lucky.”

Panne narrowed her burgundy eyes; “I _do_ know you and I know for a fact you have the worst luck I’ve seen. Come, you need to get out of here before the next volley actually hits its mark.”

The thief grimaced, reaching back to rub his sweat-covered neck; “Not really a good time. There’s treasure just lying around all over this beach! These shells are definitely worth something, I can’t just leave ‘em!”

“Of course. You’re going to sell these trinkets and buy more of your _sweets_ ,” the taguel groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose with two clawed fingers.

Gaius wanted to tell the truth. She was his wife, he trusted her. But it caught in his throat and instead he just shrugged and said, “Something like that, sure.” He grimaced– that didn’t even count as a half truth. It was like… a quarter truth. At _most_.

Panne’s eyes snapped open wide and she let out a tiny gasp– it was so quick Gaius almost didn’t see it happen, but she leapt forward on her powerful legs with a hand open wide. When she closed it, she closed it right around an arrow. Its point hovered a mere inch from the thief’s face. Gaius’ jaw dropped open wide enough his lollypop fell out of his mouth and into the sand.

They stayed frozen for a second more before Gaius grinned again and remarked, “Nice catch, baby. Got that just in time.” Panne turned to look at him with a wide-eyed glare, gripping the arrow tighter and tighter until it snapped in her hand. 

 _Now_ he was in trouble.

“That arrow would have killed you if I didn’t hear it,” Panne shouted, rearing up on her toes and standing nearly a head taller than him, “I’m not losing you, especially not over something this _trivial!_ Start taking things seriously for once!”

That hit a sore spot, and Gaius couldn’t stop himself from scowling up at her; “I’ve been taking this battle plenty seriously, Whiskers.” Oh crap. He shouldn’t have called her that. Now he was just digging his own sandy, watery grave.

Panne grit her teeth and made one of her strange sounds, something between a canine growl and the low muttering of a normal rabbit, before she shot back, “You nearly got an arrow in the eye because you wanted to collect seashells!”

Gaius folded his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes; “I was keeping an eye on the enemy until _someone_ came along and distracted me.” While that was true, he didn’t have to phrase it like that. But the words were already out his mouth and there was nothing left but to brace for impact.

Panne’s ears didn’t move much usually, but Gaius could see them swivel slightly backwards as Panne grit her teeth and a deep growl rumbled from her chest. She went from looming over him to crouching down in a wide stance, rigid and almost ready to pounce. For a split second, Gaius was almost afraid she would. But his wife took a deep breath, and her face smoothed out into a steady glare. 

“Fine,” she hissed, “Do whatever you want.” She turned on the balls of her odd feet and stalked back into the fray without another word. 

Gaius’ shoulders sank and he smacked his bandanna’d forehead, grumbling to himself, “Great fucking job back there, idiot.”

Panne always needed time to cool off when they fought– she’d probably need even more when they were actually in heat like this. And the brigands weren’t particularly close to his position… Gaius just sighed and bent down to pick up another shell, silently assessing how much it’d sell for.

* * *

Cordelia couldn’t help a girlish giggle as she picked up another shell, holding it up to admire it in the sunlight. The long, narrow shell was a beautiful blushing pink color, polished to perfection by the sea. She set it gently on the pile– it was almost up to her mid-shin now. Living in temperate Ylisse her whole life, Cordelia could hardly have imagined a place like this if she tried.

“Cooooorrrrdelia!” The pegasus knight quickly turned– only one person said her name quite like that. She had to stifle a small laugh as her husband came tripping through the sand over to her; Henry hadn’t quite gotten time to change out of the swimsuit the resort had given him, and he looked ridiculous barreling across the beach in just those shorts holding a tome under one arm. 

He finally made it over, and as he caught his breath Cordelia smiled down at him and asked, “Is everything okay, Henry?”

The sorcerer shot up to his full height– still a head shorter than her– and blurted out, “That’s what I was gonna say! I saw you hunched over in the sand and your pegasus standing over there, I thought you were hurt!”

Cordelia couldn’t fight the urge to wince; “No, no, I’m fine! I was just… checking my bindings. Have to watch your footing in the sand, right?” A bold-faced lie, but from the way Henry’s typical wide smile was quickly coming back she could see it was enough for now.

“Oh, good,” he chirped, “But tell me if you _do_ get hurt, okay? You’re so stubborn you’d say you were fine even with a sword through your belly!”

It was telling that Cordelia didn’t even bat an eyelash at her husband’s morbid talk anymore, instead just smiling down at him and chuckling, “Thank you for the concern, Henry. If there’s a sword in my belly, you’ll be the first to know about it.”

Henry opened his mouth to say something else, but let it hang open for a second as he craned his neck to look around her; “Neat shells! Where’d you get them?” he asked, pointing at her pile of seashells with his tome.

Cordelia’s mouth opened of its own accord and she started babbling, “O-oh! Those aren’t mine, I just found them– Maybe the brigands wanted them for something? I-I’ll just move them out of the way, wouldn’t want anyone to trip on them!” 

Henry paused to look from the shells to her and back a few times, then just shrugged; “Alrighty! I’ll leave you to it– I gotta go murder some men! Seeya honey!”

Cordelia waved to her husband as he bounded off to the battle, and when his back finally turned she let out a deep sigh; “That was close… Wait, what am I saying?!” This was ridiculous– Henry was her husband, and more importantly he was _Henry_. He wouldn’t have cared if she was collecting seashells. More than likely he would have joined her in looking for them… Speaking of which, there was a lovely blue one _right_ there begging to be collected–

* * *

Libra wasn’t sure if he should be concerned or not, but he was. Tharja usually wasn’t one for public displays of affection, but today she was being uncommonly clingy, hovering at his side since they’d gotten to this Outrealm, pressing up to his side while she was still dressed in that swimsuit the resort had given her… She may be his wife but Libra was feeling the need to pray. A lot. 

As Tharja scurried back from a severely cursed brigand, Libra cleared his throat; “May I have a word, Tharja?”

She smiled up at him in a way she probably thought was delightfully coquettish but mostly just made an instinctual part of him fear for its life; “Yes, dear?” She never called him ‘dear’ in public– she never called him ‘dear’ in _private_. Something was afoot.

Libra’s throat felt incredibly dry; “Why, may I ask, have you been following me so closely all day?”

“Is it so strange that I want to be close to you at all times?” Tharja wondered, looping an arm around his and pressing even closer _Gods in your heavens preserve me and guard me from temptation_ –

“It rather is, actually,” he croaked, desperately trying to keep his eyes ahead.

“I suppose it’s because we’re here in such a _beautiful_ place,” she sighed, sounding like an actress trying too hard in a minor part, “I would be bored out of my mind here on my own, but with you I’m in absolute bliss.”

“Usually you save this sort of sweet talk for Robin,” Libra muttered with a slight smirk. Now _that_ got him a gentle elbow in the side. That was more like it.

“The point is,” Tharja purred, trailing her fingers lightly up his arm and _hail Naga full of grace–_ “I don’t want to miss a single moment in paradise with you.”

His chuckle sounded more like a cough; “Just be careful, my love– At my side might not be the safest place you could be.”

Her laugh, as always, sent a chill down his spine; “Always so kind. But I have a favor I’d like you to do for me.”

Oh no.

“And what would that be?”

She stood up on her toes to whisper in his ear, “I want you to slather my body with oil.”

Libra nearly dropped his axe as he wheezed, “Divine Dragon preserve and protect us from–“

“Did you hear me?”

“ _Yes_ ,” Libra all but shouted, nearly making Tharja lose her grip on his arm. Nearly.

She went back to smiling that terrifying and alluring smile; “You wouldn’t want my skin to dry out in the heat, would you? And there are so many _hard to reach places_ …” Libra was running out of prayers but definitely not running out of sweat. 

He straightened up and put on his best ‘i am a reasonable but stern man of god’ voice; “That is certainly true, but we can hardly stop in the middle of a battle to… If it’s urgent, perhaps you could ask Robin to help you? I’m sure she would be willing.”

That almost got Tharja off the scent– he could see the stars in her eyes as she imagined her beloved tactician rubbing her down with oil and the priest felt jealous for a split second– but just as he was about to make a break for it she glared at him and snapped, “ _No._ It _has_ to be you– No one touches me but you.” 

_Gods please give me strength to resist my wife while she’s nearly naked._

“B-but,” he sputtered haplessly, “Think of what it would _look like_ …” Tharja just grinned that lovely grin of hers and let out a dark chuckle.

“ _Naga preserve me_ – We’re in the middle of a battle,” Libra huffed, forcing himself to move away from her at a trot, “Your oil will have to wait!” 

Libra could only barely hear Tharja shouting after him above his muttered prayers, the cacophony of battle and the rhythm of the waves.


	2. Turn 3

“Well, got all the shells here,” Gaius muttered as he stood back up to his full height. He glanced over one shoulder– the fighting seemed to be winding down (as always Frederick and Sumia were wiping the field) as the sun started to drift down in the direction of the ocean. The thief turned back and spotted something at his feet; a shell? No, upon closer inspection it was… wrapped in paper? He knelt down, took off the wrapper and popped it in his mouth. Coconut brittle! Who would just leave a sweet like this in the sand?

Whoever did apparently left more– there was a line of them leading up the beach. Well, Gaius was many things, but never one to pass up free candy. So he dutifully followed the trail, plucking piece after piece of candy until the line abruptly ended in front of ten clawed toes. For a second, Gaius stayed stooped over, staring at the feet. Slowly he looked up to see Panne frowning down at him, one last piece of coconut brittle sitting in her palm.

“I don’t know whether to be pleased or saddened that this worked,” she mused as Gaius stood back up to his full height and brushed the sand off his gear.

He put his hands on his hips; “Nice lure. Gonna hit me with another lecture?” He wouldn’t be able to blame her if she did.

He expected a glare or a scowl, but instead Panne just stared at him, level and thoughtful; “Not exactly. Frederick caught me after our discussion–“

“Polite word for it,” Gaius muttered, but a glare from Panne shut him up.

“– And he told me the truth. You’re not buying sweets with all this money. You’re helping fund the army.”

“ _Great_. If he’s told _you_ then he’s _definitely_ already told Chrom and Robin,” Gaius groaned, rubbing at his temple.

Panne folded her arms over her chest; “First, I would… like to apologize. I should have known better than to think you’d risk your life over confections.”

Gaius shrugged with a slight smirk; “Babe, if I were you I’d have accused me too.”

That brought a smile out, but only for a second– her gaze got even more intense as she continued, “But more importantly, why didn’t you _tell_ me? Why did you let me think you were being irresponsible instead of telling me the truth?”

Gaius pressed his mouth into a tight line for a moment, but with a heavy sigh he forced the words out; “I’ve got a reputation to uphold.”

Panne narrowed her eyes; “Be serious–“

“I _am_ ,” Gaius cut in, scratching the back of his neck as his eyes stayed locked on the sand. “I dunno, it’s… Easier, I guess. Letting everyone think I’m just the thief who doesn’t care about anything but his paycheck and sugar. Show people you’ve got a soul and they start _expecting_ things from you and then you can let them down and then one day you’re… You’re lying about everything and you just can’t stop it.”

Gaius stepped closer and took Panne’s hands; “Look– I’m sorry. You were looking out for me and I was being an ass.”

“You _were_ being an ass,” the taguel murmured with a soft smirk. 

Gaius couldn’t help but chuckle; “But I promise, I _am_ trying to play it safer. I don’t wanna leave you all alone again.”

Panne pursed her lips, eyes focused on their clasped hands; “There are no guarantees, Gaius. Especially not in battle. I… worry. Constantly.”

Gaius stared thoughtfully ahead at his wife, brows furrowed… then his mouth split into a smarmy grin; “Alright, how about we make a deal? If I hold off on the treasure hunting what’s in it for me?” 

Panne looked up with a start and snapped, “Oh you can’t be serious.”

“Serious as the plague, babe,” he drawled, rocking back on his heels and nearly taking Panne off her careful balance on her toes.

Panne scowled, but he could see the smile glimmering in her eyes; “First of all, I’ve nothing to pay you with–“

Gaius’ grin went all the way up to his eyes; “Oh yes you do, sweetheart.”

“Wh–?” Gaius rocked back forward just in time to catch Panne’s lips with his own, keeping it quick, but not _too_ quick that he couldn’t sneak in some tongue.

He pulled away with a little laugh while Panne stared ahead, stunned; “Sweet as sugar, like always. Did I detect a hint of coconut?”

Panne frowned as her blush shone through the thin layer of fur on her face, muttering, “I tried one of the sweets, I found it terrible, _more importantly_ we’re on the _battlefield_.”

“Last I checked the battlefield is the _perfect_ place for flirting,” Gaius remarked, “Our whole army could attest to that.”

He took one hand out of Panne’s to tap her lightly on the nose; “I’ll consider that payment in full, Bun. In exchange, I’ll do my best to stay out of danger.”

Panne kept up her frown for all of a second before letting it lapse into a weary smile; “I suppose that’s the most I could ask for. However, could I add one more term to this deal?”

“Name it, baby.”

“Never call me ‘bun’ again.”

“Hmmmmm… What do I get in ex–”

“ _Gaius_.” 

“Fine, fine– That one we’ll throw in for free.”

* * *

“Aaand… perfect!” Cordelia exclaimed with a wide grin as she tied the last string of shells around the haft of the lance. She honestly had meant to get back to being productive and fighting the brigands, but her pegasus quickly got exhausted in the tropical heat and she had these lances and shells _right here_ … Now all six of them were stuck base-first in the sand, covered in all manner of decorative shells. Lovely and exotic as she’d made them look, Cordelia was glad her corner of the beach was deserted–

“Whatcha doin’, Cordelia?” The pegasus knight let out a squeak as she whirled around; Henry was standing right behind her, smiling that affable smile. It seemed he’d mastered moving through the sand unencumbered– she hadn’t heard him coming at all. Either that or her goofing off had distracted her. Probably both.

“H-henry! I… was…” Cordelia sputtered, eyes darting around as she frantically scrambled for an excuse, “… Testing new ways to increase a throwing lance’s range! That’s it! And I was seeing if these seashells had any… aerodynamic properties!” 

She plucked a simple spear– one of the less adorned weapons– out of the sand with a too-wide grin; “Let’s give it a try!” With a grunt of effort, Cordelia tossed the spear at a palm tree several yards away. It hit the trunk dead center with a loud _THOCK_ , sending splinters and bark flying. She dropped her facade and let her jaw fall open wide; that had to be a new record for her. Maybe she should throw while nervous more often.

Henry let out a giddy laugh; “Whoa! Nice throw, Cordelia! The shells totally work!”

Cordelia quickly pasted on her rictus grin and in a warbling voice replied, “Uh… yes! Just as I predicted! G-good thing I made so many of these!”

“Good stuff,” Henry remarked, before turning to a bronze lance Cordelia had painstakingly covered in pink and blue shells, “D’you think this one will go as far? I wanna see if I can get that archer over there _right_ in the throat!” 

The sorcerer hefted the polearm up into a throwing position with a grunt, and just as he was ready to toss it Cordelia blurted out, “ _Wait!_ Stop! Don’t throw that one!” 

Henry turned to her with an eyebrow raised, and Cordelia just let her shoulders sink, weakly mumbling, “That one’s my favorite.”

Her husband cocked his head to the side and eloquently queried, “Huh?”

She let out a heavy sigh; “I’m sorry. I lied to you… I wasn’t making aerodynamic lances. I was just decorating my weapons because I thought the seashells were pretty.”

Henry’s mouth fell into a pout; “But that spear flew _really_ far!”

Cordelia grimaced; “That was just… adrenaline.”

Henry stuck the bronze lance back in the sand with a sigh; “And I was hoping I could take that archer’s head off…”

The pegasus knight shrugged a hapless shrug, eyes drifting down to the sand; “It was just brute strength. The shells don’t help at all… I’m sorry. Here I am playing around like a child in the middle of a battle while you’re fighting and then I turn around and lie to your face… You must be so disappointed in me.”

“Of course not!” Henry chirped, bringing Cordelia’s attention back up to him.

He grinned as he trotted across the sand to her, continuing, “I dunno much about people, but I think I know a thing or two about you. And I know you always feel like you have to be the responsible one,“ he paused to wince, “Being married to a guy like me… probably doesn’t help,” but he shrugged and kept going until he’d closed the distance between them, taking her hands in his and swinging them lazily as he smiled up at her, “But I’m happy to see you playing around like this! I was scared you didn’t know _how_ to have fun! And who knew you could be so cute?” 

Cordelia was always a heavy blusher, and her face turned nearly the same shade of her hair as she giggled, “Who are you calling _cute_ , shorty?”

“Hey, cute people can be tall,” Henry laughed, “And the cute one here is the one blushing bright red, cutie!”

Cordelia took her hands out of Henry’s to push at his shoulders; “Stop teasing me! You know I hate that!”

“Whoop!” Henry ducked right under her hands and came up closer to her; “Sloppy sloppy, Cordelia! You left yourself–“

“Wide open!” Cordelia hooked her arms under Henry’s armpits and lifted him up to her level in one fell swoop. She pulled him in close and pecked him on the lips– it was light, but enough to turn the sorcerer a deep crimson.

Henry stammered a few nonsense syllables, and Cordelia chuckled, “My my, you’re blushing _and_ speechless! Who’s the cute one _now?_ ”

Her husband regained enough of his composure to smile and sigh, “I give up… We’re both very cute.”

Henry suddenly perked up, exclaiming, “Oh, man! Idea! Since your pegasus is resting how about we go back into the battle with me casting while sitting on your shoulders? They’ll never see it coming, and you can poke people who get too close with one of the lances!”

Cordelia paused for a moment, but smiled, shrugged, and said, “You know what? Let’s give it a shot.”

* * *

“Libra! There you are!” 

The priest choked on a prayer; and here he thought he’d lost her at this remote, empty corner of the beach. Then again that’d probably made him even easier to spot– Tharja was Plegian, she probably knew a thing or two about picking out targets on a wide expanse of sand.

He slowly turned to face his grinning wife; “Don’t tell me– this is about the oil.”

She somehow found a way to grin even wider as she honest to Naga _chirped_ , “So you’ve finally come around!” 

She produced a small container from a pouch on her hip, “Well, let’s get started– and don’t worry, there’s _no_ such thing as too much oil.”

Libra grimaced and pinched the bridge of his nose, groaning, “Tharja, be _reasonable_. We’re in the middle of a battle– I _can’t_ be doing this right now.”

Tharja froze, and just like that she… crumpled. There really wasn’t a better word for it– her body language suddenly stiffened, the flirtatious and provocative set of her body looking awkward and artificial. She let the container fall limply out of her hand and into the sand. Her grin fell into a scowl, and a shadow passed over her face. Libra couldn’t help but feel very stupid all of a sudden.

“No, of course not,” she muttered, eyes locked on her feet, “Why would it be any different here?”

The sorceress turned on her heel, but before she could storm off Libra caught her by the shoulder; “Tharja, what is this _actually_ about?”

For a few moments, she stood there in silence. Just when Libra was sure she wasn’t going to tell him, she whirled around and snapped, “Everyone _loves you_. You know that, right? Of course you do, you’re not stupid. You’re the kind and understanding priest who can take someone’s burdens off their shoulders with a few perfect words– they all just _love_ being around you. And you love them. You always get so…” she grimaced, “ _happy_ when you help them. Don’t give me the ‘I’m a hollow shell’ line– Everyone can see that’s not true. When you’re helping or healing your face just _lights up_ and… ugh.”

She folded her arms tight over her chest, curling in on herself; “But I’m just the scary gloomy Plegian witch. Nobody but Robin and the little dragon even _tries_ to talk to me if they don’t have to. Granted, I don’t really _start_ conversation that often myself… And you know what? Fine. I give you your space so the others don’t have to choose between avoiding me and talking to you.” 

Tharja threw her hands in the air; “But I’m not stone cold! I don’t have eyes only for Robin! I _want_ time with my husband, just the two of us! But I suppose it was _crazy_ of me to think I could have you to myself even out here.”

Tharja turned to leave again; “The oil was just an excuse, but I get it. We’re fighting a battle. I’ll leave you to it– And when you’re done you and the others can have a… ugh… _wonderful_ time.” 

She only took one step before Libra caught her shoulder again; “Tharja. Look at me.” 

Gingerly, she let Libra turn her to face him again; he put both hands on her shoulders and murmured, “I apologize, my love. I never meant to neglect you– You’re as important to me as the Gods themselves,” his voice went lower with a tiny smirk, “Truly, oftentimes you’re even _more_ important.”

The beginnings of a smile tugged at the corner of Tharja’s lips as Libra cupped her chin and his voice dropped almost to a purr; “But I promise you– from this moment forward, I am all yours. I’ll be at your side until you send me away.”

Tharja let out a low chuckle, bringing a hand up to play with her hair as she remarked, “That’s a promise, is it? So does that mean I can curse you if you break it?” 

“I would be shocked and appalled if you _didn’t_ curse me,” Libra replied.

Tharja would absolutely kill him if he described the noise she just made as a giggle, so Libra pointedly did _not_ think of it as one; “You know me _so_ well. Well then,” Tharja stepped back and held out her hand, palm down, “You may seal your promise with a kiss.”

Libra smiled in a way he hoped was impish but Tharja would remember as just a slight bit terrifying, before stepping straight past her hand, dipping her low and kissing her right on the lips. Tharja’s shock didn’t even last a whole second before she had her hands threaded in his long flaxen hair, pushing him even _closer_. He pulled back before she could slip any tongue, looking positively smug.

Tharja struggled to frown; “I _meant_ for you to kiss my hand.”

“You didn’t specify,” the priest remarked, “I’d be happy to do it properly…”

Tharja’s smile broke through; “No… I think I rather prefer the wrong way. Perhaps we can do it some more when the battle’s won?”

Libra’s low laugh sent a chill up her spine; “As you wish.”


	3. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> since Fates got me nostalgic for Awakening I finally decided to write the epilogue I had planned for this! It's probably not as good as I think it is considering it's like two in the morning right now!

Tharja had been enjoying the beach _much_ more now that she knew sitting beneath an umbrella and reading was an option. It was approaching ten minutes since she’d sat herself down on this towel, and while this shade was pleasant and the tome on magic theory Miriel had loaned her was fascinating she was growing more and more restless.

She frowned towards the resort’s main building– Libra had gone to change into the Hotrealm’s complementary swimsuit right around when she’d sat down. Most days, she trusted her husband. Even today when she’d been feeling more amorous and insecure than usual that kiss during the battle had managed to push most of her fears down. But they were starting to crawl back up again, and Tharja was finding it difficult to unfurrow her brows or pry her white-knuckled grip off of Miriel’s book.

Tharja closed her eyes and drew a deep breath in– she needed to empty her mind of all but her will and her faith, just like when she cast dark magic. Think of the irritant on the inhale, and push it away on the exhale. 

Inhale– _Whispers and glances quickly averted, Libra being called away from a conversation to heal someone or listen to their confession, her focus drifting from magical experiments as her mind wonders again and again if she’s holding him back, if he’d rather not leave the witch his flock despises and avoids to shepherd them to greener pastures._

Exhale– _The feeling of his lips and the strength in his arms as he dipped her effortlessly, his voice whispering “As you wish” with more conviction than any prayer. He loves me. He’s coming back to me. He chose me and he’s going to do it again._

And when she spared a glance over her shoulder, there he was, standing above her and smiling that serene smile that put even her heretic heart at ease. She couldn’t help a slight smirk as she noticed Libra had indeed changed into the swimsuit– those muscles had almost convinced her to convert on more than one occasion.

“You certainly took your time,” Tharja remarked, setting down her book and leaning back on her hands.

Her husband let out a low, rich chuckle as he settled in at her side; “My apologies,” his hand drifted unconsciously toward a pair of pale, thin scars just underneath his chest, “It’s been a long time but the idea of being bare chested in public was still… intimidating.”

Tharja’s smirk fell. Oh. Well. Didn’t _she_ feel like an asshole.

She leaned forward and pressed herself up against his side, molding to him like gel as she purred in his ear, “I appreciate you finding your courage. You look stunning.”

Libra looped his arm around her waist with another low chuckle Tharja felt all over, and as he leaned in she forgot all about her book.

* * *

When Cordelia finally stepped outside, Henry was right where she left him– the dark mage was sprawled on the sand next to her pegasus, the sun having dried him from soaking wet to slightly damp. She couldn’t help a giggle as she remembered their impromptu dip into the ocean; their plan of Henry casting spells from Cordelia’s shoulders had been going surprisingly well until Cordelia had lost her footing in the sand. They’d both gotten a scolding from Robin when the fighting was well and truly over, but Cordelia could see the tiny smirk on the tactician’s face as she delivered it– at the very least that strategy had given the battle some levity.

Cordelia stood against the setting sun, her long shadow falling over Henry as she asked, “All dry now?”

Henry grimaced slightly as her shadow blocked the sun’s warmth, but when he very slightly opened his eyes and caught sight of her that grimace exploded into a beaming grin; “Holy _wow_ ,” he exclaimed, immediately bouncing up to sit up straight, “You look _amazing!_ ”

Cordelia could feel her face heating up again as she smiled; she’d been nervous about the swimsuit at first considering it covered so little and exposed some of the features she was less than secure about, but she’d managed to convince herself that since she’d likely never get to wear something like this again, she might as well take the plunge. 

And with Henry looking at her like he’d just seen the Divine Dragon herself, she was thinking that plunge was worth it.

The pegasus knight giggled as she asked, “So, now that we’re both dressed for it how about we get back into the water?”

She barely finished her sentence before Henry was on his feet, hand around hers and running towards the sea again, letting out a slightly less manic version of his normal cackle. Their height difference and the sand nearly resulted in Cordelia tripping, but like always she quickly adjusted to Henry’s pace and by the time they reached the waves she was the one pulling him into the sea with a bubbling laugh. 

A wave crashed on the two of them as they hit the sand, and Cordelia knew full well how ridiculous they looked as they staggered back to their feet and kept scampering around in the water like a pair of children. But they would likely never get a chance like this again, the sun was setting, and Henry’s laugh was infectious.

Cordelia didn’t fight her grin and she didn’t fight her urge to splash her husband right in the face with salt water.

* * *

Panne let out a long sigh from deep in her lungs as the small waves broke over and over again on her body. The heat had gotten to be a bit much for her considering she was covered in fur, and the cool ocean water was just what she needed right now. The man-spawn could have their frolic and their frivolity– she just wanted to keep herself off the verge of heatstroke.

“This seat taken?” Gaius asked as he, in typical Gaius fashion, sat down beside her in the sand anyway. Panne snorted– it seems the Anna of this realm had managed to get Gaius into one of those ridiculous swimsuits she’d been peddling. Considering how little clothing Panne herself wore when Robin wasn’t having her train in another class, her husband’s near-nudity didn’t impress her. She _was_ impressed with the ridiculous candy designs on the suit; how Anna had gotten Gaius to both wear that and go outside in it she’d likely never know.

“Pale as you are you’re all but begging for a sunburn in that,” Panne remarked.

Gaius rolled his eyes as a wave broke over their legs; “Sun’s not gonna be up for too much longer. Dunno how burned I can get in that time.”

Panne leaned her head on his shoulder; “And you’re sure you want to spend these last moments of sunlight sitting in the sand instead of doing…” she looked over to see Cordelia and her white-haired husband flailing in the water like a couple of children, “Whatever it is man-spawn do at places like this?”

Gaius leaned his head on hers with a smirk; “I’m not much for frolicking. Sitting here getting sunburned while my wife gets heatstroke is more my speed.”

Panne didn’t say anything more, but she did smile and softly grind her teeth. 

* * *

Anna shook her head with a soft smile as she looked on this realm’s sister, shoulders drooped in defeat as her Snapshot floated away into the sea. 

“And that’s why we never use tomes right next to the water,” she remarked with a soft chuckle. With that, she pulled her own Snapshot tome out of her bag. She just needed one more shot, and things would be perfect. The merchant breezed along the beach, around the Shepherds and other guests using up these precious moments of daylight or starting their own bonfires so they could enjoy the beach for a little longer. She hummed to herself in contentment– happy customers all around, and all the better that a good half of them were her friends.

And just then, from the corner of her eye, she spied the perfect shot. There were Chrom and Robin, the Exalted couple walking hand in hand along the water, the light of the setting sun setting the mood perfectly. Anna couldn’t help a giggle as she moved to get her perfect shot– despite their two years of marriage, the weight of the wars and the birth of Lucina, they were still getting lost in each other’s eyes like newlyweds.

The merchant raised her tome and whispered, “Say cheese!”

With a small flash and a sound like a cracking whip, the tome’s pages flipped to a blank sheet where a perfect recreation of the scene before her materialized. Anna turned with her back against the sun and looked it over. She nodded– it was perfect. The merchant couldn’t help but flip back through the other snapshots she’d taken today: Panne and Gaius sitting in the surf, Cordelia and Henry splashing in the waves, Tharja and Libra sharing a moment under the umbrella, and countless scenes of the Shepherds scrambling through the sand.

She flipped through her empty pages with a soft sigh; there wasn’t much space for the hot springs trip she wanted to arrange for them. She’d have to make those shots count. Anna would have to leave the Shepherds one day– it was bad for business for her to stay in one spot with one group of people for too long, no matter how friendly and welcoming they were. 

Hopefully these reminders of their good times together would be repayment enough when she left.


End file.
